HISTORY AND PROBLEMS 19 
aware, in all others where dry land has been successfully farmed, 
the soil is sandy, and this appears to be an essential condition.”’ 
Sand or sandy soil offers an especially favorable environment, 
for sand or sand dunes act as sponges and absorb all water that 
falls, and except for a few inches at the surface do not pass it back 
to the air by evaporation. One walks for miles through desert 
with no sign of animal life to come upon a small sand dune marked 
by mammal, bird, reptile, and insect tracks. Here the penetrability 
of the soil to water results in an increased animal and plant popu- 
lation. The meat eaters are naturally found where the plant eaters 
abound. | 
The Homestead Law in 1862 made possible the acquisition of 
160 acres of land by a residence of five years. The Timber Culture 
Act in 1874 enabled settlers to acquire title to 160 acres of land 
on condition of growing a certain amount of timber. In 1916 the 
640 acre Homestead Law was passed and was confined to land 
suitable only for grazing and the production of forage. In the 
meantime the grasslands of the Great Plains had attracted the 
cattle men. Migratory cattle became abundant on the range about 
1866 and increased to millions in fifteen years, but in 1886 the 
cattle boom, which had reached its height in 1882, came crashing 
down. At that time there was a great influx of homesteaders in 
Eastern Colorado. A few favorable years resulted in an agricultural 
boom based chiefly on maize and potatoe production. A few cattle 
men remained in this region, mostly in the sand hills. Then came 
the drought of 1893-94, so severe that all but a few settlers left 
the region. By 1908 about 13% of the land had been plowed, and 
about half of this plowed land was in crop and about half was 
abandoned and returning to short grass, the original plant cover. 
In 1949, 96% of this land was plowed, and not an acre was going 
back to grass. It was largely in wheat and summer fallow. 
The beginning of dry farming was greatly influenced by false 
conceptions and by propaganda. There was a feeling, supported 
by propaganda, that, if the loss of water from the surface could 
be stopped or retarded, capillarity would raise water from the 
water table to produce the crop. It was easily demonstrated 
that a great depth of dry soil lay between the moist surface soil 
